Teacher Clarity (Instructions)

BENEFITS

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• Teachers using verbal and nonverbal strategies so students genuinely grasp course content and processes, not just activity directions.

 

• Clarity can substantially accelerate progress for students who are behind, helping close existing achievement gaps.

 

• When students know where to start and how to check their work, they are more successful with complex tasks and develop stronger problem-solving skills.

 

• Higher student motivation, more positive emotions, and greater engagement in learning activities.

 

• Fewer behavior issues, more on-task time, and increased student ownership.  link

 

 

 

HOW TO

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• Students need to know: What am I learning; Why am I learning it; How will I know when I learned it?

 

• Create clear learning objectives & learning intentions

 

• Co-constructing learning intentions and success criteria with learners.

 

• Use success criteria or learning intentions.

 

• Provide opportunities for self-assessment – Rubrics

 

• Implement progress monitoring

 

• “I do – we do –  you do” approach (Gradual Release)

 

• Do-Say method (not Say-Do): first demonstrate or provide visual cue on what you want students to do; then ask them “what did I do” (discuss); then answer questions and provide clarification

 

• Concrete-to-Abstract (not Abstract to Concrete): Make the instructions as concrete and real as possible before proceeding to the task.

 

• Visual cues, charts and reminders

 

• Show finish product / project at beginning

 

• Develop success criteria with students prior to starting lesson or activity and/or at the end as lesson check.

 

• Providing effective feedback on and for learning: Feed Up (before), Feed Back (after), Feed In (they tell you), Feed Forward (what’s next)

 

• Talk (and give instructions) the way students (elementary age) think…one step (or one “slide”) at a time…not many directions (or “slides”) at the same time…one step/slide at a time / then stop & pause before going on to the next step/”slide”

 

• Mnemonics

 

• Inquiry based learning and Games

 

• Project based learning

 

• Competency based instruction

 

• Jigsaw method

 

• Provide examples and tell “story”

 

• Check for understanding, repeat what they say, restate, ask them to “teach you”.  Teacher Clarity Playbook (2018), Almarode (2018)

 

 

 

CHALLENGES

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Disfluency” – teachers talk too fast; cannot explain concepts or instructions in a simple manner.

 

“Overload” – pace of instruction and commands that  outstretches students ability to absorb it.

 

“Interaction” – refers to lack of teacher interaction with students to determine their levels of comprehension and understanding.

 

“Coherence” – providing redundant information which can confuse with a focus on unimportant information. Hattie (2023)

 

 

 

WHAT NOT TO DO

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• Don’t describe only the activity (“We’re doing stations”) instead of the actual learning (“You will be able to compare fractions with unlike denominators”).

 

• Don’t post or say broad, multi‑skill targets that students can’t possibly hold in mind for one lesson.

 

• Don’t assume students know the standard’s intent; “unwrapped” targets in kid‑friendly language still need a quick, explicit unpack together.

 

• Don’t over explain by giving every detail at once.

 

• Don’t teach three new ideas, terms, or procedures in the same “clarifying” explanation; separate and chunk them.

 

• Don’t layer visuals, text, side stories, and asides simultaneously without signaling what is most important.

 

• Don’t change tasks mid‑lesson without explaining.

 

• Don’t assess something different from the stated intention.

 

• Don’t do all the talking; clarity drops when students never verbalize or represent the idea themselves.

 

• Don’t wait until the end for a single “Any questions?”

 

• Don’t ignore signs of confusion and then label it “noncompliance”; often it’s a signal that your explanation or target is still fuzzy.  link